Despite the availability for veteran jobs, veterans are having a difficult time acquiring them. Often times, there are employers who are opposed to hiring someone who was part of the military. Some employers are concerned about the acclimation of a veteran to the civilian workforce. However, some might have negative beliefs associated with veterans such as managing an employee with post-traumatic stress.

Finding companies that are willing to accept you as a veteran is important. Which is why there are resources for veterans are widely available, administered through either the government or a community program. There are online resources specific to jobs for veterans and only veterans. If you a job seeking veteran, listed below are the best websites for someone like you.

VetJobs

This website exclusively caters to veterans, transitioning military and military spouses who are looking for work. VetJobs offers about 2.4 million jobs on their site and the services they offer are completely free. Veterans using this job assistance website also receive one-on-one assistance over the phone. The employees who assist in providing veteran jobs are also veterans, so employees know firsthand what their client is experiencing.

When you sign up for an account, you can also get access to live job training courses on their platform. You can go through these courses at your own pace and choose them based on what you want to improve upon in your resume. VetJobs also has career advisors on staff to help veterans identify their skills and qualifications for resume building. Career advisors also help you with identifying your needs as a professional. The advisors will have you take assessments to validate your skill sets, therefore preparing you for when recruiters and human resources professionals reach your resume.

Once veterans sign up, advisors will contact their client within 36 to 48 hours of signing up to help a veteran get started. When jobs for veterans are available, they contact their client immediately. 

If you do not have a professional online presence with LinkedIn, you will be prompted to create a LinkedIn profile with them. Advisors will guide you on how you can market yourself as a professional using your resume and online profile. The next step after self-marketing is networking, and your career advisor will show you how you do this as well. For instance, VetJobs advisors will help you develop goals for job searching and find creative way to reach out to employers.

Veteran Affairs E-Benefits

If you receive benefits from the Veterans Benefits Administration, then you may have access to their employment assistance services. The Veteran Affairs benefits provide vocational rehabilitation for both service members and veterans. One of the primary methods of applying for these employment services is online on their e-benefits website. Their Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program (VR&E) assists veterans with service-related disabilities to find careers as well as provide training. 

Similar to VetJobs, their staff helps veterans determine their transferable skills and interests. The program is also divided into tracks that help veterans pursue their professional goals. When it comes to goals, the VR&E assists in developing an individualized written rehabilitation plan for the purpose of solidifying personal employment goals.

If you want to complete a paper application, then you must download the form online. You may fill it out on your computer or by hand, then proceed to mail it or turn it in to your local regional office. The form has all the information on the process for the program after determining you are eligibility.

GI Jobs

This job assistance website is mainly known for its resources for transitioning military personnel, but they also have job listings. When veterans sign up for the G.I. Jobs newsletter, they will provide their resources on weekly basis and job alerts for specific search criteria. Additionally, several companies sponsor the website to provide jobs to veterans and military spouses. These companies are listed on the website in alphabetical order. When you click to learn more about each company, you will find:

• Company information.

• Their reason for hiring veterans.

• Current open positions.

• Their job listings.

• Their locations

They also provide additional statistics related to the company’s current volume of military employees. Besides resources and veteran jobs, this job assistance website also gives a list of schools that are veteran-friendly. These schools also sponsor the website and also provides information on the college such as:

• School information.

• The reason they value veterans.

• Statistics based on the current veterans enrolled.

• What they offer to veterans and military spouses.

• Degrees and certifications.

G.I. Jobs lets you filter job results by location, keywords or military job title. You can also search a position by the industry you prefer. If you want to look for career opportunities outside of the United States, they also have job listings around the world.

Feds Hire Vets

This government-owned website is for veterans interested in working for the federal government. Much like the previously mentioned websites, there are several programs in place, one of them is known as the Veterans Employment Initiative. This initiative is to hire a vet into the federal government and assist in implementing a plan for their employment goals.

If you would like to work as civil servant within the executive branch, note that positions are highly competitive and are ranked depending on several factors. Some of these factors include how you were discharged and whether you pass your evaluation or not. If you are a disabled veteran interested in competitive service, you must be an eligible “30 percent or more” veteran to qualify.

If you are not eligible in the competitive service at this time, you may obtain the Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA). This procedure allows for an eligible veteran to transition into the competitive federal service. You may also receive temporary employment through the VRA, however, this will not provide you with eligibility to transition to the competitive service.